Husband died after Christmas day party with friends

A MAN who had been out celebrating Christmas with his wife and friends died hours later after vomiting in his sleep.

An inquest into the death of Neil Storozuk heard how he had been out drinking on Christmas day before returning home at around 1am on Boxing Day.

Mr Storozuk, who was said to have been ‘drinking heavily’ during the celebrations, was guided to the sofa by his wife where he was laid down to sleep.

But just an hour later paramedics had to be called as the 39-year-old had stopped breathing after vomiting in his sleep.

Coroner Richard Taylor said: “The emergency services were called and they cleared his airways. They commenced CPR and after hie started to breath again.”

Mr Storozuk was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital where he was under the care of Dr Justin Roberts, a consultant in the intensive care unit.

Giving evidence at the inquest, Mr Roberts said: “Neil had been drinking heavily on Christmas day and he was in cardiac arrest when the paramedics arrived. His heart had stopped and he had vomit around his mouth.

“When he arrived at the hospital he was intubated and over the following 24-hour period we looked into what may have caused his heart to stop and we found no other cause other than low oxygen levels which would have stemmed from the vomit being in his airways.

“He had suffered catastrophic damage to his brain.”

The inquest heard how on the 27th of December, doctors had a conversation with family members and the decision was made to stop any medication so it could be determined if Mr Storozuk was brain stem dead.

He was pronounced dead on the next day.

Recording a conclusion of misadventure, coroner Richard Taylor said: “He had gone out and had a good time.

“He would never had expected what had happened to him to have happened while he was out with his wife.

“I very much believe that this was an unintended outcome of an intended action.

“Mr Storozuk died at the Royal Blackburn Hospital on the 28th of December following a cardiac arrest on the Boxing Day having aspirated while intoxicated.”

Commenting on how her son saved other by being an organ donor, his mother said: “He was able to help other people have a better life’.